Falling Away With You
by l8alldai
Summary: Sasuke has returned to Konoha...for good. But will Sakura still want him after everything he did? Sasusaku slight NejiSaku eventually
1. Fantasies Decay

**Falling Away With You**

**By l8alldai**

He thought she would love him forever. He counted on it. It was the one thing that prevented him from just giving up and losing. He wanted to love her. He wanted to give her what had always belonged to her. Sakura would always be the only one with a claim on him.

He didn't leave her to rot and sulk about him. He left to get revenge on the man…the brother…that massacred his clan. He never wanted to leave her or anyone for that matter, but he had to. He could never love her the way she deserved with the thought of Itachi coming back to finish what he started. He couldn't marry someone, restore his clan, and live his life if his brother was just going to kill everyone he loved.

He couldn't let her come with him on his mission. If anything had happened to her there would've been no way Sasuke could ever forgive himself. He couldn't bear the thought of what could have happened if he hadn't been able to save her. He wanted her to be safe and it was easier for him if she thought that she was unwanted. It was his insurance. If anything had happened to him she would've been sad no doubt. But if he had actually told her the truth then his death would've only caused her more grief over the fact that they _could've _been. He made sure he looked hopeless to her and only wished that when or if he returned she could forgive him for what he did…

And maybe one day love him again. But it didn't look like it would turn out that way.

Sasuke walked through the familiar gates knowing he would be stopped on site. He knew ANBU would come and put him under arrest. He expected the talking to from Tsunade and he even anticipated a trial although he hoped he could explain his way out of that. What he did not expect was the reception he got from Sakura. She was sitting on a bench reading a medical book, totally unaware that he was a few yards away. He was surprised that she didn't sense his chakra sooner but she looked too enthralled in what she was reading. He had to say something though.

"Sakura…"

He was nervous, which was one thing Uchiha's rarely were, but then again she was always and still was able to draw emotions out of him. Emotions he tried to suppress with every breath. She stiffened at his calling out to her. She tilted her head up away from the book, which was slowly falling out of her hands towards the floor, and stared.

He saw all the emotions she was feeling in her eyes; those large expressive green eyes. They hadn't changed since he saw them last. She silently and slowly stood up. She inched towards him, their eyes never leaving each other.

"Sasuke."

She whispered his name so low he wasn't sure she said it.

"Sakura I­-"

She slapped him hard across the cheek.

OoOoOoOoOoO

She didn't want to hear it. She spent years trying to move on from him. She would tell herself over and over again that he was a lost cause. Eventually she finally began to believe it. She had given up on him a while ago.

And here he was…proving her wrong by just being there.

He had come back. Sasuke Uchiha was actually standing in front of her, alive. She had gotten it in her head that the next time she saw him he would be in the morgue. This is what she trained herself to think. And he ruined it by simply uttering her name. _'How dare he.'_

"How dare you…"

She ran off from where she stood. She needed to get away. If he really was back she'd get a chance to tell him off properly (because she _was_ going to rip him a new one when she mustered up the courage to face him). But right now, she couldn't stand it. All the feelings came rushing back to her. Hate, anger, fear, worry…love. She pushed that last thought aside before it had time to plant itself in her head.

_-You still love him you know-_

Her inner decided to come out exactly when she didn't need it and never when she did. And usually she shooed it off. But she couldn't deny that she agreed with her inner self…for once.

"But I can't think that way. Not now. I need to stand strong on this one. I need to push him away before I can hope again."

"Push who away Sakura-chan? Is that dobe Lee trying anything?"

Naruto was stepping out of Ichiraku right as she mumbled (or so she thought) to herself.

"No no. It's not Lee it's-" She was interrupted by a very worried looking Shizune.

"Naruto. Sakura. Tsunade needs to see you two in her office now."

"What? Why?"

"She needs to speak to you. Now please hurry." Shizune was fidgeting.

She knew what Tsunade wanted to talk about. She had slapped the person that had Shizune rushing to fetch them. He was probably sitting in Tsunade's office right now getting his ass chewed out. '_Good. Maybe she'll talk some sense into him'_

Shizune lead the way towards the Hokage tower with Sakura and Naruto in tow. Sakura couldn't focus on anything but what was going to happen now. He was back and she had lived so long without him she wasn't sure what to do know that he was back. She needed to tell Naruto.

"Naruto look I-"

"We're here. You can go on in."

They stood in front of the door to Tsunade's office. Sakura could sense his chakra…which meant Naruto could too. She looked to the side to see him. He had too many emotions on his face at one time to pinpoint what he was feeling. He glanced back at her and she shook her head and laced her fingers into his. She reached for the doorknob…

Author's note:

Idea popped into my head. I'm gonna roll with it. I have no clue how long this story will be and I have no clue of the end destination…I probably have 3 chapters planned after this and then after that, who knows?? I realize it's not very long but chapters will probably get longer in the future. This seemed like a good place to cut it. A little cliffhanger (or at least that's what I tried to make it.) And yes this is named after a Muse song. If you feel the need and look it up or you already know of it, the lyrics fit really well to the story and where it's gonna go.

Comments and reviews are appreciated and asked for…no matter what you think positive or negative. You will have my gratitude. Until next time!


	2. Good Man Bad

**Falling Away With You Chapter 2**

Good Man Bad

She reached for the doorknob and slowly turned the metal handle. More than anything else she wished she could have somehow warned Naruto but the door was wrenched open by someone on the other side and they both saw what the reason for the meeting was for.

Sitting in front of the Hokage's desk was one Uchiha Sasuke. They both entered the room and the door was shut behind them. Sakura turned to see who it was that unceremoniously revealed the secret to find that it was their old sensei. Kakashi looked slightly concerned but mostly held no emotion on the visible part of his face. He looked at her in acknowledgment and she turned back around to gauge Naruto's reaction.

He slowly walked to the left side of Souse's chair, causing Sasuke to look up and their eyes to meet. Naruto just stared. He opened his mouth as if to speak but quickly closed it. Tsunade choose that moment to greet the two most recently added members to this little get together.

"Naruto. Sakura." She nodded her head to both. "I'm sure you both can guess as to why you were called here. I wanted you three present when I did this because you have every right to know the answers to the questions I am going to ask Sasuke. Now I don't want any interruptions or outbursts or I _will_ demote that person to genin so fast your held will spin. Is that clear?"

All three shook their heads in agreement.

Sakura was starring at the back of Sasuke's ebony hair with such concentration she was surprised he didn't notice. But then he turned his head slightly to the side to view her in his peripheral vision and Sakura quickly averted her eyes to look at her shishou, realizing he did feel someone burning a hole in the back of his head.

"Sasuke, I expect an honest answer out of you and at this point I believe you'll tell me the truth seeing as how you are adamant that you are here for good this time." He just nodded in agreement.

"Sasuke Uchiha, have you returned to Konoha in hopes of destroying it or launching an attack against it?"

"No."

"Are you aware that because you abandoned the village you may be up for trial where you may receive the death penalty depending on the verdict of said trial?"

"Yes."

Sakura couldn't believe he was sitting there being interrogated. The Sasuke she knew (or at least the Sasuke she thought he became) would never have agreed to this kind of questioning.

"Your reason for leaving was to get revenge on Uchiha Itachi. I'm sure we can assume that was the only reason?"

"Yes."

"Will you be hoping to rejoin Konoha and/or furthering yourself as a ninja for the hidden leaf?"

"Yes."

She looked at him and lost the formality she was straining to hold onto to.

"So you're back?" He nodded his head.  
"For good?" Another nod.  
"And you have no other goals like the one before?" At this he paused but then he finally opened his mouth.

"I have no other goals that would ever cause me to leave the village again."  
"So you do have 'goals' though right?" Sakura knew what Tsunade was trying to ask. If Sasuke had another goal needing to be fulfilled he would go to the ends of the earth to accomplish them, like he did with his revenge. Tsunade wanted to make sure that these goals did not involve him betraying the village any further than he already had.

"These goals are centered around the village, not against it. I'm here to stay"

For some reason Sakura believed that. She was conflicted over what to feel. She was happy that he had returned safe and relatively unharmed. But at the same time, she was so angry she wasn't sure she would've cared if he said he wasn't going to stay in Konoha.

"Would you mind sharing these goals? You must know that you are under a great deal of suspicion and scrutiny for returning just out of the blue." Tsunade was trying to be a little realistic because nothing coming out of Sasuke's mouth seemed like it was.  
"My goals mostly involve the same thing but I'm trying to focus on one."

Everyone was shocked at what he did next. Tsunade starred mouth agape, which was identical to the look on Naruto's face, while Kakashi's visible eye widened. Sakura was taken aback and couldn't stop him once she saw what he was intending to do.

Sasuke got up out of his chair and took the one small step necessary to put himself smack dab in front of Sakura. He looked straight into her jade eyes and, try as she might, Sakura could not gain the will power to look away from his gaze.

He all but jumped forward and encircled his arms around her frame. Squeezing tight he whispered in her ear

"Sakura. I'm sorry."

She stood there with her arms at her sides, starring at the wall in her line of vision. Those two words had sent her over the edge. She slowly moved her arms to reciprocate the hug. When her hands had finally rested against his back he squeezed her once more.

She was surrounded by him. His breath slowly blowing over her neck and his fingers tightening in her shirt made her break down. A single tear fell down her cheek and fall onto his adjoining one. He moved his head away to look at her fully.

"Sakura…" He wiped the single tear off of her face with his thumb and rested his hand on her cheek, cradling it in his palm. She stood absolutely frozen. In those few seconds he showed her more care than he had in the years of knowing her.

oOoOoOoOoOo

He couldn't stand her crying. Not now. He wiped the single tear off of her face and held his hand against her head. He looked at her watering eyes wondering if they would ever look at him the way they did before he left, with adoration and love. He had to hope that she didn't totally give up on him. He needed her to forgive him. He needed it to breath, to live, to move on.

His only goal was to earn her forgiveness. He couldn't move on with his life (one that he hoped would be with her) until she forgave him. It would remain a dark cloud above his head till she relieved him of his crimes against her. He knew he hurt her. He had tried to make it less painful for her knowing that it would cause him more problems upon his return. He needed to tell her the truth.

"Sakura I am truly sorry."

She moved her hand across her face to wipe the tears yet to fall from her eyes.

"I'm not the only one that needs an apology"

She looked at him with a mix of happiness and something else he could not place. He knew he had hurt both Naruto and Kakashi, but was too worried about her. Sasuke would do what she asked, though not the way she wanted.

oOoOoOoOoOo

He needed to apologize to their other teammates. She even believed they deserved one more than she did. Naruto lost a best friend and Kakashi lost a student that he had put his faith and trust in. They needed to hear those words too.

Sakura was waiting for him to release her to properly apologize to their other two comrades but he didn't move. Instead he held her close and never lightened his hold.

"Kakashi. Naruto-"

"Ah it's ok. I'm just glad we have you back…BUT YOU BETTER NOT LEAVE TEME OR I WILL KICK YOUR ASS FROM HERE TO THE MOON!"

"No you won't Naruto." Kakashi put a hand on Naruto's shoulder."You'd have to wait for Tsunade to be finished with him, granted there wouldn't be much left."

"Damn right there wouldn't be" Tsunade nearly shouted in agreement

He turned back to Sakura, who tried to move away from his hold. He held her there tightly, although not forcefully. She gazed up at him in confusion and he looked back in what she thought was another one of his blank states.

"Sakura I need you t-"

The door flung open at that moment and Sasuke was interrupted. Sakura quickly removed herself from his arms and began walking towards the newly arrived Neji.

"Neji-kun. What are you doing here?" Sakura fidgeted with her skirt

"I heard…well I came to see if you needed anything…"

"No. I'm…I'm ok."

Neji put an arm around her and kissed the top of her head. Sakura smiled.

"Well I'll be at home. I'll see you there."

She nodded her head and returned her focus back to everyone else in the room.

Naruto burst out once Neji had left the room. "Can that Hyuuga stop being so damned paranoid? Jeez, you'd think you two were married the way he fuses over you."

"Naruto, shut up." They were still in a (somewhat) formal meeting and Tsunade silenced Naruto. "Sasuke you know you will most likely have to go through a trial right?"

"Hn."

That was the first time Sakura had heard that and she realized she had somewhat missed his vague one syllable grunts. At this moment it seemed unusual for the simple fact that he had been very upfront and attentive until the recent interruption.

"Well so long as you know…I'm done with all of you. Leave my office I have better things to get to _like my sake…_"

"What was that shishou?"

"Nothing! Get out now. Haruno I'll see you bright and early tomorrow."

All four members of the former Team 7 left the room.

"I have a mission tomorrow. I'll see you all…whenever. Nice to have you back Sasuke." Kakashi disappeared with a poof and a wave in their direction.

"So…are you gonna go home now Sakura-chan?"

"That would be the plan." She wanted to explain things to Neji plus she had a day of training with Tsunade tomorrow and her bed was the only place she wanted to be right now.

"Aw. I thought maybe we could go to get some Ramen or something to celebrate…"

"Naruto. Not tonight. I have to get up early and Neji's gonna start wandering the streets to find me. Some other night I promise."

"I guess. Goodnight Sakura-chan."

"Night Naruto…Goodnight Sasuke. I'm glad your back." She tried to believe herself and hoped neither of them could sense her worry.

She had already turned around, heading for her home, not expecting a reply from Sasuke because he never would have given her one when they were teammates. Sasuke seemed to be full of surprises today though, so she should have anticipated something.

"Goodnight Sakura."

She stumbled a little but not enough to be noticeable. She had to admit that so far Sasuke seemed to be changing for the better and she liked being acknowledged by him. She continued on her way home. Neji was probably pacing by now and she wasn't sure how long he could just wait there. She picked up her pace.

oOoOoOoOoOo

Sasuke watched as Sakura made her way home. She never did say whether she forgave him or not, but that wasn't the topic plaguing his mind at the moment. The sight of the Hyuuga boy was what had imprinted itself in his head. He couldn't get the image of Sakura being comforted by him out of his head. He was going to be honest with himself and admit it made him a little mad. Had something gone on between them? _Was _something going on? He wanted to know and he thought he might just get some answers out of the blonde standing next to him.

"So, I don't know where you're going to stay but you can always-"

"Dobe?" He asked while still looking in the direction that Sakura had left in.

"What? Do you…Don't call me dobe you teme!!"

"Are Sakura and Neji" He paused. He didn't like putting those two names so close to each other in a sentence. It didn't seem right. "…is there something between…"

Naruto gave Sasuke a knowing smile which only acted to tempt Sasuke to punch him in that cocky mug of his. "Curious?...maybe…jealous?"

"Answer the question."

"Alright alright. They've been dating for awhile. They moved in with each other maybe a few weeks ago? I can't remember when exactly. See the day they-"

Sasuke was stunned to say the least. He didn't like them together. He didn't even like Neji alone. Why would she date him anyway? Sasuke was trying to rationalize their reasons for being together in his head. From what he could remember from his academy days Sakura really never paid too much attention to the Hyuuga. So why now? Sasuke was going to have to fix this.

"-but then I had already started my bowl of ramen so I couldn't just get up and go over there. Hey are you ok?"

"Yeah."

He knew himself he was _not_ fine…but he would be, once a certain dark haired white eyed male was taken care of.

~~oOoOoOoOoOo~~

Author's Note:

Update!! I'm semi-happy with this. I like the fact that it's a bit longer but I feel that I could've done better. I'm lacking something I think. Anyway…I gotta play around and find my style. Reviews are welcome and appreciated. Good or bad they motivate me…really they do.

Thanks for reading!!


	3. Dreams Forever Asleep

**Falling Away With You Chapter 3**

Dreams Forever Asleep

Sakura went to get her keys out of her pocket when the door was flung open.

"Neji! Hey. You didn't have to stay up for me."

"I wanted to make sure you got home safe."

"Huh? Why wouldn't I get home safe? It's not that dangerous of a neighborhood."

Sakura had unlaced her boots and kicked them off to step inside. She noticed a look of concern on Neji's face, which wasn't unusual any other day, but she felt there was something else behind it. She stepped into the bedroom to get her cotton shorts and a tank top to get ready for bed, with Neji in tow. He usually was worried but something was seriously plaguing his thoughts tonight. Her curiosity over just what it was that was bugging him was answered when he next spoke.

"So he's back?"

She turned away from the dresser to face him. He was scowling in almost an angry way.

"Yeah. He returned not that long ago. How did you even know we were in the Hokage's office?"

"Ino saw him being escorted there by ANBU and then she saw Shizune walking with you and Naruto. She told me where you would be."

Of course. If Ino had seen Sasuke walk through with ANBU at his side then everyone in the village pretty much already knew. It was no skin off her back but she knew people would start to gossip over Sasuke and his motives and she had to admit she felt a little pity towards his current situation.

_-You care. Admit it.-_

'_Ok so I care a little. What decent person wouldn't? There's nothing wrong with me being concerned for his well being.'_

She was not going to have this argument with herself of all people. Even her inner self wasn't worth arguing with. She continued to gather her things for bed all the while being questioned by Neji.

"So what happened?"

She knew that question had a double meaning. Neji had chosen to wait till she and Sasuke were entangled in a hug to barge in. He wanted to know what happened, yes. But he wanted to know why they were hugging so intimately also.

"Tsunade questioned him about why he was back and his future plans. That was about it."

She would not answer him unless he had the decency to ask her directly.

"So why were you two holding each other?"

…Apparently he had the decency.

"He was apologizing to me. I think after all that happened we were entitled to give each other a friendly hug."

With that she shut the door to the bathroom. She was not going to be interrogated all night especially by the one person who should be helping her through this. She turned on the shower and stripped down while waiting for the water to warm. She stepped inside and let the water flow onto her skin, soothing her tense muscles.

A lot had happened in only a few hours time and she knew things were going to continue to happen as Sasuke was in the process of rejoining the village.

~oOoOoOoOoOo~

Sasuke couldn't sleep. He lay on Naruto's couch with his hands behind his head thinking over the day's events. Naruto had insisted he stay at his place, knowing Sasuke was not ready to go back to the Uchiha compound just yet. Sasuke reluctantly accepted the offer although he could have gotten a hotel he was too tired and Naruto's apartment was too close to walk away from.

But now that he was lying down trying to get a much needed rest, he found his mind was not ready to sleep just yet. Images from the day kept flashing in his mind joined with previous memories from times long ago.

He thought about the look on Sakura's face as she saw him for the first time in years. The sting he felt on his check after her slap. The way her body went rigid as he threw his arms around her. The way her arms felt around him…

He wanted nothing more than her forgiveness and he would do everything in his power to gain it.

Sasuke twisted in the blanket wrapping him, settling into a more comfortable position, before finally falling into a deep sleep.

~oOo~

_The moon shone high in the sky, alerting those outside to the lateness of the hour. The air was warm and a slight breeze ruffled the trees around him. Sasuke began to view the area, taking in his surroundings. He had been there before, of that he was fairly certain, but he couldn't quiet remember when. He heard light breathing coming from somewhere in the area in front of him. He turned to look in the direction of the soft noise._

_Sakura sat off in the distance alone. Sasuke was confused as to what she was doing there so late at night. She was simply staring out in his direction, her hands at her sides resting next to her as she simply sat on a bench._

_He _had_ been there before. He recognized that bench. He had left her there all those years ago when he first left the village._

_Sakura's head jerked to her side, making Sasuke look in the direction where her attention was turned. At first he saw nothing but then he saw what had caused her to look away. There stood their twelve year old selves, younger Sasuke with his back tuned to a crying smaller Sakura. He could hear nothing of the words being said between them._

_He glanced back at the present day Sakura sitting on the bench to find she was actually up and walking towards him._

"_Why did you do it Sasuke?"_

_He looked at her puzzled. "Why did I do what?"_

"_Why did you say thank you?" She tilted her head to the side the way a curious puppy would._

"_Because I…you were the only one…who showed any concern about me. I wanted to thank you for caring even though I never deserved it."_

"_Answer me Sasuke."_

"_But I just__-__"_

"_Why did you leave the village?"_

_He wasn't sure what was going on but it was causing him to feel nervous, something he never felt._

"_Sakura I thought__-__"_

_Her next question was so loud. It wasn't one question it was a barrage of them. And she wasn't talking alone. He heard her voice 50 times over in his head; the noise making his head throb._

"_Why did you say thank you? Why did you leave us? Why wouldn't you let us help?"_

"_Sakura, if I__-__"_

"_Why did you shut yourself off? Why didn't you try to ask for help? Why did you leave us?"_

"_I had to make__-__"_

" _Why were you so angry all the time? Why were you so cold? Why did you leave us? Why did you leave me?"_

_He clutched his head to try to block the voices out. His eyes focused on Sakura whose lips weren't moving but her eyes showed every emotion there._

"_Stop!"_

_The voices ceased their questioning. The next he heard was a small whisper that could barely be heard, but he knew it was coming from Sakura as he saw her lips move slowly._

"_Why didn't you love me?"_

_He saw tears forming in her eyes and he felt a pain in his chest._

"_I…I did. I still do…I love you Sakura."_

_She had disappeared from in front of him only to reappear directly behind. He could feel her hot breath on the back of his neck._

"_Thank you."_

_He heard a pop._

~oOoOoOoOoOo~

Sakura awoke in the morning with a headache that was equal to the one she would get from hanging around with Naruto too long. She pulled the sheets above her head trying to block out the small amount of light that was shining in through the large window. She dared a glance at the clock and realized if she wanted to live through the week she couldn't be late for training with Tsunade. Reluctantly she climbed out of bed taking the large blanket with her and walked over to her dresser.

There sat a small note in sickeningly good handwriting. She recognized it as Neji's.

Sakura,

I apologize for my behavior yesterday. It was uncalled for especially with all that's going on now. I'll see you when I return in three days from my mission.

Sincerely,

Neji

She put down the small note and continued with her morning routine. She wasn't exactly mad at Neji, she was just a little fed up of the way things were going with him. Things hadn't been going so well once they moved into together. He didn't even want to in the first place and Sakura got the feeling he still didn't like it to this day. When they had started dating he was the perfect gentleman. He paid for everything and always held the door open. He was perfect at first. But things changed. They had been dating for three months and she had told him she loved him too many times to count. But never once did he repeat those three words back to her. Eventually she started saying it just to see if he would respond. It had lost its meaning. A meaning, that Sakura realized, was never real to begin with. She was too hasty in saying it and she knew it. She so wanted them to work out but it just felt wrong at the end of the day. She knew what she was doing was simply to try and feel the love she so longed for. She was a romantic to say the least and she wanted more in her life than just her job at the hospital. But she knew now that Neji was not the one thing that would fill that need.

Sakura arrived at the Hokage tower right on time and walked into Tsunade's office hoping she wouldn't see her shishou with sake bottle in hand, which she so often did.

"Go home."

Ok so maybe the sake bottle was hidden under the desk. She surely had to have been drinking all through the night to want to send Sakura home for no reason.

"You heard me, go home. Things are slow at the hospital and with Sasuke's return I have to work on the elders."

"What do you mean?"

"Sasuke's back and I really don't think he's going to leave again. He left the village, yes, but when all is said and done I don't think he deserves the punishment they will probably give him. I need to work on them to try and save his sorry ass."

"Then can't I-"

"No you can't. If you help it won't look good to them. It's personal for you so it would be biased. Hell it's personal for me but I can't help that seeing as how I'm the only one who might be able to talk those old scheming elders out of a rash decision."

Sakura understood. She wasn't sure how she felt about the punishment Sasuke would receive though. She knew he shouldn't get off scotch free but there were some things she didn't want to happen to Sasuke. He had been through enough already, although some of it was self inflicted…

"Go home Sakura."

"Yes shishou. If you do need anything…"

"Yeah yeah. Get out of my office. We both know a day off wouldn't kill you either."

Sakura walked out of the Hokage's tower and much to her annoyance walked right into Naruto.

"Sakura-chan! Where are you going to?" Naruto could never just let her go without knowing where it was she was going to.

"Home, Naruto."

At this he grabbed her arm and began leading her in a direction that Sakura knew. He had done this before many a time when he was able to catch her.

"Naruto really. I just want to get home and try to go back to sleep if at all possible."

"Nope. You said no to ramen yesterday. You owe me. C'mon, Kakashi and Sasuke are waiting."

Sakura froze just a little but Naruto thought it was the initial refusal that was behind her clamming up. In fact, it was the mention of their former teammate that had given her the chills. Even though he was back she wasn't sure how she could just treat him as though he had never left. He did apologize the night before but she didn't feel it was a true apology. She thought he just felt obligated to do so. Although the hug that accompanied…

"We're here! Sorry about the hold up. I had to practically drag her here." Naruto greeted the two sitting at the counter.

"Well you don't look too scratched up so she must not have beaten you that hard." Kakashi smiled (or what she assumed from the happy eye crease).

Sasuke and Kakashi sat at the counter with an empty seat between them. A seat that Sakura hoped would have been filled by Naruto but when Naruto went and sat at Sasuke's left she had no choice but to fill the gap between her former sensei and her former teammate.

"So how did you get away from Tsunade? I didn't think Naruto would've been able to talk her into letting you leave work for awhile."

"She gave me the day off. She was busy working on a few things that I'm not able to help her with."

"You not help? I find that hard to believe Sakura."

"Well I'll take that as a compliment Kakashi-sensei but this was one thing I am not _allowed_ to help with." Sakura was fully turned towards Kakashi, knowing that Sasuke was looking at her. She could feel his eyes on her back. It seemed she was the only member of Team 7 that was having issues with Sasuke's return. Or at least she was the only one to show it. But it also seemed that Sasuke seemed to notice this as well which would not turn into anything good.

"Hi Sakura."

She couldn't avoid talking to him, not when he just acknowledged that she was there. Before he had done that ignoring him would have been simple.

"Hey Sasuke. So you're staying at Naruto's?" She had no idea what to talk about and she hoped that at the mention of his name their blonde loud mouthed teammate would take over the conversation. He, however, never did anything remotely close to what Sakura needed him to. He sat there intently reading the menu.

"Yeah. I wouldn't mind it so much if he didn't snore so loudly though. I thought he'd be over that by now."

"Not much has changed." She was generalizing there. Sure things were a little different but nothing too life changing.

"On the contrary my fine youthful spring flower! Your beauty has blossomed these years and shown how wonderful you really are. Anyone saying otherwise can expect a challenge from me!! The great-"

"Can it caterpillar eyes." Sakura took back what she thought about Naruto. He did do her favors every now and then.

The new addition to the group scowled his thick eyebrows at the whiskered blonde.

"Do you disagree Naruto? Are you saying miss Sakura is not bea-"

"No Lee. I just wanted you to shut the hell up before I upchucked."

He looked at Naruto as if he had punched him in the gut, which Naruto was always welcome to do in Sakura's mind. Lee moved quickly to grab Sakura's hand. The motion causing her chair to pivot so she faced the kneeling boy. With her hand firmly grasped in his he started proclaiming his never ending love and blah blah blah. Sakura really wanted him gone.

"Sweet Sakura-chan! It would be my great honor if you would agree to accompany me to-"

Sasuke turned in his seat and held a death grip around Lee's wrist. Lee dropped Sakura's hand immediately and tried to free his own from Sasuke's grasp.

"I only wanted to-"

"Well don't. She's not interested. So I suggest you stop asking."

Sasuke glared at him in a way that made chills run up not only Lee's spine but Sakura's too. Lee looked between Sasuke and Sakura, tears slowly welling in his eyes.

"Fear not my sweet Sakura-chan! One day-"

"Leave. Now"

Sasuke continued to glare at him. The green spandex clad boy made one last glance towards Sakura's direction and then turned and quickly exited the Ramen shop.

"Thanks for that Sasuke."

"Yeah. No problem."

That was the first time in awhile that she felt somewhat normal around Sasuke. Like it was the old times, before he had left. Maybe he could really change. Maybe they could go back to normal.

'_Maybe we could be friends.'_ She thought.

~~oOoOoOoOoOoOo~~

Author's note:

I know this is a random place to cut it off but I have part of the next chapter written and when that comes up the strange cutting will make sense…

But I ramble.

So this is chapter 3. Umm…yeah. That's about all.

Comments good or bad are appreciated. They'll help me write a better story for all of you!!


	4. Arise and Tear

**Falling Away With You Chapter 4**

Arise and Tear

'_Maybe things can be like they were.'_ Sasuke thought.

Getting Lee off of her back was no chore for him. The bushy browed boy was getting on his nerves the second he decided to make his presence known. It didn't help him that he decided to voice his affections at Sakura. Sasuke had had enough. It was one thing to breathing in his airspace. It was another thing entirely to try and hit on Sakura while he was sitting right there. Did no one remember their history?

'_Well that's all it is….history.'_

Sasuke couldn't give up on his goal. She would forgive him and she would eventually trust him again. That was all he could hope for. But he wanted her to know the truth and he_ would_ tell her…some day. He couldn't just leave her in the dark about what he did and why. Maybe her knowing the truth would change her perspective on everything and allow her to finally forgive him. Or it could go the other way and she could hate him even more than she did now and cause her to never want to speak to him again as long as she lived.

He really hoped that wasn't the case.

The four of them continued with their lunch and their idle chit chat without any further interruptions. It was good, for all involved, to reconnect with the team they all thought they had lost so long ago. Sasuke was genuinely interested in what had happened while he was away and wanted to know what he had missed in their lives. Naruto was more than happy to occupy his time filling him in on all the details.

After awhile the customers in the ramen shop began to leave hinting at their own departure. The four left the building still talking and reminiscing about when they were small genin. The story of the bell test had sparked a tiny giggle out of their old sensei that they were almost certain they did not hear.

"I was just remembering the look on Naruto's face when I told him he couldn't eat…priceless."

"Eh? Whatever, we passed so I don't care what my face looked like." Naruto scoffed.

"Well kids I must go. I promised myself I'd catch up on my reading. I stopped at a particularly juicy spot."

The three cringed as their old sensei disappeared over the rooftops.

"Stupid Kakashi and his stupid Icha Icha." Sakura shook her head in what Sasuke guessed was disgust.

"I don't know Sakura. Some of those books aren't all _that_ bad. Kakashi-sensei bought me a few for my last birthday. They were kind of entertaining." Naruto shrugged his shoulders and Sakura had stopped to look at him. Sasuke knew that the loud mouth blonde had said something he would soon regret. He might as well help out his whiskered friend. Naruto took off in a full sprint away from their fuming pink haired teammate. Sakura went to leap at him but Sasuke was quicker and had a hold on both her arms preventing her from chasing after Naruto.

"Naruto! I can't believe you re-" She paused and seemed to tense up a bit. Her breath came out in short puffs and Sasuke could feel her pulse quicken.

"Sasuke you can let me go now."

He immediately released her and looked in the direction that Naruto had taken off in.

"I don't think he's coming back any time soon."

"Yeah well he'll have to see me eventually…I should get going anyway. I guess I'll see you later Sasuke."

To be honest, Sasuke knew he was a bit disappointed at the thought of her leaving right now. He wanted to spend time with her. He wanted to catch up on what he had missed and what he made himself miss out on by pushing her away. This was no way to try and rekindle a friendship. She had walked only a few short steps when Sasuke knew he couldn't let her leave yet.

"Hey Sakura?"

She stopped and turned to face him. She didn't speak so Sasuke took that as his cue to continue.

"I'm not going back to Naruto's just yet and I was wondering if you wanted to go for a walk with me?"

He so badly wanted her to agree but he wasn't expecting it. She was angry at him for leaving and he couldn't blame her. He wanted a chance to explain everything but the problem in doing so was the fact that he would need to tell her how he really felt. And expressing one's feeling was difficult, to say the least, for an Uchiha.

"I don't know Sasuke. I was going to get a little paper work done for the hospital and-"

"Please?"

~oOoOoOoOoOo~

She had never known him to say please in that way. She could've sworn there was a hint of desperation in his voice, but she dropped that thought before it gave her any hope. She didn't see anything wrong in taking a short walk with him…it wasn't as if she was still in love with him.

'_But you are.'_ She cursed the voice in her head. It never said what Sakura wanted to hear.

'_No I tell you what you _need_ to hear.'_ She pretended she didn't hear that either.

She looked down at her hands, twiddling them together and playing with the hem of her skirt. She raised her head to look in his direction. He was looking back at her and she figured he was probably doing that the whole time. There was something in his eyes that made them look almost pleading.

"Yeah, ok."

They walked for a few minutes in absolute silence, Sakura following him in the direction he was walking. She couldn't sense if he had a destination in mind but she was pretty sure he didn't. He didn't look too focused on which direction he was going. She didn't like the silence. Luckily he broke it first.

"So I hear you have accomplished quite a bit at the hospital working under Tsunade."

"Yeah. She's really is a great teacher. I'm lucky to be her apprentice."

"You always did have better chakra control then me and the idiot growing up."

She paused. Was that…? No. She had to have just imagined it. There's no way he just complimented her. The old Sasuke would have never acknowledged anyone's strength but his own. Sure he had his moments when a nicer side would slip through, but this? This was completely new territory. And she wasn't going to lie to herself when she admitted that she kind of liked the new side to him.

The silence came back over the two of them. She focused on her shuffling feet and the breeze passing by. She saw Sasuke stop walking and sit down. She followed without really looking where they were and when she raised her eyes from the floor she realized exactly where they were.

The bench.

_The _bench.

This was where he left her those years ago. She begged and pleaded and confessed her love to him and in the end he still left. He left her on the bench.

And here they were again.

She sat next to him, situating on the opposite side of the bench from him.

"Sakura…I know…" He stopped. She could see the struggle going on in his head at trying to make his feeling known. He was never good at it. Heck, he never tried it at all. She was patient though so she waited for him to continue.

~oOoOoOoOoOo~

_I don't think she knows how difficult this is._

Sasuke strained to find the right words to tell her. How did you tell someone that you were sorry? How did you say that most of the mistakes you made were for their own good? He wanted to say that he loved her. That he didn't go a day without thinking about her. That after he had finally killed Itachi the first thing he thought of (after the initial shock of being able to accomplish such an impossible task) was how he would get to return home, to her. She never left his head. He had an obsession and he knew it. No matter what happened he had to make it better. he had to fix things between them. He had to know if she still loved him. He wanted to say so much and found that trying to confess all these emotions was not going to be easy.

He just had to say it flat out and thought maybe it was best to get the biggest thing out of the way.

"Sakura…I…I love you."

She held a blank expression and it didn't look like she was blinking. She didn't seem to be breathing either.

Ok, so maybe it wasn't best thing to say first.

~oOoOoOoOoOo~

Author's Note:

I know it's been more than a month since the last update but finals and...you know...LIFE gto in the way. Hopefully I can write more before the next semester starts. So yeah. New chapter. I'm ok with this. I need to listen to more music for inspiration. Any ideas??

Comment por favor. Good or bad, short or long...they all help in the motivation department.

Until next time. Au Revoir ^_^


	5. Hopes and Expectations

Just to clarify becasue I've been switching around on this:

_"..." -_ thoughts  
_'...' - _Sakura's Inner

And a million apologies for the delay. If any of you are still reading this: I am sorry for the wait. I'll shut up now and let you read.

**Falling Away With You Chapter 5**

Hopes and Expectations

No. This was not happening. She was going to pretend he did not just say what she thought he just said. She spent years pinning after the boy sitting next to her and now he just told her what she had always wanted to hear. That was the problem with it though. She wasn't so sure she wanted to hear it now. She had a life and a career and she did it all without him. She didn't need him to validate her worth, like she realized she was doing in their genin days.

And more importantly (although it wasn't the first thing that came to her mind), she had Neji. The talented genius Hyuuga who…well she wasn't so sure about the love there. They were in a rut and, being as observant as he was, he obviously knew it too. Love was the one thing that was in short supply in her life. But here was Sasuke, ready to give his to her.

She had everything she had ever dreamed sitting in front of her, offering her the one thing she _used_ to want most. But now? She wasn't so sure.

"Sakura?...Sakura you need to breathe."

It had only occurred to her that she was indeed holding her breath. She released it in what she thought was a calm slow sigh but it came out as quick rapid panting. Was she hyperventilating? No. People only did that when they panicked. Was she panicking? She…well she had to admit she was, if only a little.

"Sakura say something. Are you ok?"

She breathed in and out for a few more seconds.

"…Y-Yeah. I'm fine."

How was she supposed to respond to that? Did he just expect her to swoon and say how much she had been hoping he'd say that and how she wanted to be with him forever and have a thousand little Uchiha babies? Well no sir. She was not going to tell him that.

_But you want to tell him that'_

"_Oh hush up you. May I remind you that this is Sasuke? Nothing good ever comes our way by loving Sasuke. Nope. Not doing it. Steering clear of this heartbreak waiting to happen."_

She did _not _need to hear from herself (well, her inner at least) that she was in love with the man. She never really stopped loving him. But loving him only ever caused her pain and she wasn't ready to start that up again. Not when everything else seemed to be going so well.

_'You and Neji are not getting on well'_

"_Seriously? We're gonna go there? Just…don't"_

"Sakura please. Say something."

She wasn't sure what to say. She wasn't sure what she felt. And on top of it all she wasn't sure whether she could believe Sasuke. How could she? He had done nothing to prove that he _was_ trustworthy.

"What do you want me to say Sasuke? That I love you too?"

~oOoOoOoOoOo~

"_Yes."_

He wanted her to know. He wanted her to see how sorry he was. He wanted her to know that the entire time he was away he thought of her. He loved her and only in his wildest dreams did he expect her to love him back. He couldn't blame Sakura if she didn't. The idea of her hating him would break his somewhat cold icy heart, but it wasn't unrealistic. Never did he show her an inkling of interest when they were genin. He never gave her any hope that he might have felt the same way. Of course he had felt a little something for her and it was because of those feelings that he ignored her from the start.

Thinking back on it he realized just how much his brother messed everything up. But in the end he couldn't really blame anyone but himself.

"I want you to…I need you to forgive me."

She looked a little taken aback by that.

"Sasuke you wanted revenge and to do that you had to leave. I get it. There's nothing to forgive."

"No" He reached out and grabbed her hand holding between both of his own. "I mean forgive me for not telling you sooner."

"Telling me what?"

Did she not just hear what he had said only moments before? Was it so hard to believe?

"I love you Sakura. "

"No really Sasuke…c'mon."

"I do. Is it so hard to believe that I'm in love with you?"

She sent a very unnerving glare his way before answering.

"Yes."

"But__"

"You thought I was useless. You ignored me. When you did speak to me it was to comment on how useless I was. Sasuke you never saw me as a person, only as the squealing fan girl."

He sighed. It was hard enough for him to admit he was sorry. Harder for him to admit he loved her. But telling her that all of the teasing and ignoring her had been for her own good because he had grown to love her too much to let her get attached or to go with him? That was far beyond his reach. That was confessing just about everything he had. He never really was open with anyone and when he found himself having feelings for the rosette haired girl next to him, he responded the only way he knew how. He pushed her away, trying to save her from entering his world of revenge and death. She didn't belong there. She was too full of light to be swallowed by his world of darkness.

"Sakura I'm sorry. I don't think you can understand just how sorry I am…for everything. I just…"

~oOoOoOoOoOo~

He paused, leaving her waiting for him to speak. She never thought he would return her feelings. Or rather the feelings that she no longer felt. It had taken everything she had to try and forget him, to give up on him. She didn't know how to believe the person sitting in front of her now.

'_Give him one more chance. He deserves that much, a chance to fix everything.'_

She tried hard to ignore the tiny voice in her head.

"You just…what? What is it Sasuke?"

She looked at him with expectant eyes. He lowered his head which shocked Sakura a little. He never did that. It was a sign of defeat and Sasuke always boasted being anything but. When he returned his gaze to her she noticed his eyes becoming red, and not from the sharingan.

"I just need you to forgive me."

She saw something glisten next to his eye and then a streak made its way down his prefect check. It was a tear. Sakura Haruno had just witnessed a tear come from Sasuke Uchiha's eye.

And that's all it took.

She couldn't stop herself even if she wanted to as she lunged towards him, pulling him into a tight hug. He quickly wrapped his arms around her, holding just as tightly. They sat there, breathing each other in and felling the warmth that the other emanated.

"Sasuke I…I forgive you."

He freed himself from her arms to look at her.

"Honestly? You forgive me for leaving?"

"Yes." She did forgive him, sincerely.

"And you forgive me for treating you so badly when we were younger."

She nodded her head in the affirmative. They were pre-pubescent kids. Any boy would have teased her at that age. He wasn't the only one.

"And you forgive me for this?"

"…For what? You haven't done anyth"

Before she was able to finish her thought his lips came sliding over hers. Her eyes still open from the shock could see his eyes closed tightly, in what she assumed was embarrassment or something of the sort. In fact it was determination.

She was not reciprocating.

And on principle, she would not.

She placed her hands on his shoulders and pushed, separating their joined lips.

He would not get away with that so easily.

~oOoOoOoOoOo~

Sasuke felt her put her hands on his shoulders and took this as a good sign…until he felt the pressure of Sakura pushing him away. He complied and moved back.

She had a stern look on her face and her lips were parted as if they were about to speak.

She released a breath and he released his, which he had been unknowingly holding in.

It was then that she spoke.

"Sasuke, I'm glad you're home…ecstatic even. But I am not the same twelve year old girl I was the last time you were in this village. So you have another thing coming if you think I still love you the way I did back then. I forgive you for kissing me like that this one time, but if it happens again without my consent I cannot guarantee that you will remain in one piece long enough to start resurrecting your clan. Capiche?"

She stood up and walked off, presumably home.

He stayed there, sitting, reflecting on what she had just said. Sure, she said she didn't love him the same way anymore but he expected that. He now knew for a fact that she _was_ happy that he was back in Konoha, but she would also castrate him if he ever kissed her again…without her consent

Which meant that he just had to work hard to _get_ that consent. He smirked to himself.

He had a new mission…and it was to get Sakura back.

~~oOoOoOoOoOo~~

Author's Note:

as stated above: SORRY!!!! It's been almost a year and I had been going back and forth writing then feeling unhappy with the length and so on and so forth but there is no excuse. I'm mad at myself for going this long without an update. I want to say thank you to everyone nice enough to eb reading this right now and I have no clue why you're still here with me but thanks!!

Review por favor. It would be much appreciated. Even if it's just telling me how lame I am for not updating in a timely manner. I'm very sorry...again. T_T

Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me. I don't want him anyway. I want Sasuke ;D


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